The Importance Of Nutrition For Health

Good nutrition is essential for a healthy body that’s able to fight off infections and function properly, but many individuals forego healthy eating for a variety of reasons, including lack of knowledge, hectic schedules and exhaustion.

After all, it’s faster to microwave a meal or stop at a fast food joint than it is to prepare a healthy meal. Unfortunately, bad nutrition can lead to a whole host of problems, including high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, poor sleep and lack of energy.

The start of a healthy diet and better health starts with nutrition basics. It’s important to note that good nutrition doesn’t start with counting calories. It starts with knowing which foods are healthy, learning how to swap bad foods for good foods and knowing your body’s specific nutrient requirements for your activity level.

Calcium and Vitamin D are needed to maintain healthy bones and teeth. Calcium is what helps build and regenerate bones and teeth, while Vitamin D is needed in order to help the body absorb the calcium. Both of these nutrients can be gotten by consuming low-fat milk and dairy products and consuming dark green leafy vegetables, including mustard greens, kale, okra, spinach and collard greens.

Improved Energy And Mental Clarity

One of the first benefits of a healthy diet is increased energy and mental clarity. This is because the body is finally getting all the macro and micronutrients it needs to function properly and rejuvenate itself on a cellular level.

Weight Reduction

Individuals who are overweight will notice a decrease in their weight over time. This is because fatty, non-nutritious foods with empty calories have been replaced with lower calorie, healthy foods with lots of vitamins and minerals, which leaves the individual feeling more satisfied.

Improved Sleep

Individuals often report better sleep once they’ve improved their diets. This is due to consuming higher-quality foods that require less filtering by the body to remove toxins.

Decreased Risk Of Heart Disease And Diabetes

Diets that are high in saturated fats and processed foods can lead to being overweight, which increases a person’s risk for getting type II diabetes and heart disease. By increasing the amount of healthy fats and decreasing unhealthy fats and processed foods, the body is better able to regulate its blood sugar levels and weight is reduced, which decreases the risk factors for developing certain obesity related diseases.